McIlroy "Leading at 8 Under Par"..."I Like Abu Dhabi~"

'Rolex Series Round 1' Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Day 1: Hatton 2nd by 1 Stroke, Thomas Tied 83rd 'Struggles'

Rory McIlroy is teeing off at the 6th hole on the first day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Abu Dhabi (UAE) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "I like Abu Dhabi."

‘Number 6’ Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) made a dazzling start. On the 22nd (Korean time), at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club (par 72, 7,583 yards) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), he surged to the top spot on the first day of the European Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (total prize money $8 million) with an 8-under-par round. This tournament is especially notable as the first event of the Rolex Series, a premium match with significantly increased prize money to compete against the PGA Tour.

For McIlroy, it marked his first appearance since 2021. After finishing tied for 5th at the ‘Fall Masters’ last November, which dashed his hopes of becoming the sixth player in global golf history to achieve a ‘Career Grand Slam,’ he took a break to recharge his energy. It is worth noting that this is the ‘promised land’ where he finished runner-up four times?in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015. This is a great opportunity to shake off the disappointment of two third-place finishes in 2016 and 2018.

On this day, he actually collected eight birdies. He opened the scoring early with ‘stepping stone birdies’ on the 10th hole (par 5) and 12th hole (par 3), followed by a birdie on the 15th hole (par 3), and then three consecutive birdies from the 18th to the 2nd hole on the back nine. Two more birdies came at the 6th and 8th holes near the end. McIlroy himself expressed confidence, saying, "My iron shot distance control was very good, and my putting on the greens was also decent," calling it "the best round I’ve ever played in Abu Dhabi."

World No. 9 Tyrrell Hatton (England) is chasing in second place, one stroke behind (7-under-par 65). He made eagles on both par 5s on the front nine, the 10th and 18th holes, and added three birdies on the back nine at the 2nd, 4th, and 9th holes. Hatton is also a marquee star with five European Tour wins. In March last year, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, marking his first PGA Tour victory. Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) is positioned third (6-under-par 66).

Defending champion Lee Westwood (England) is dreaming of a ‘second consecutive win’ from a tie for 10th place at 3-under-par. He is recalling the thrilling memory of clinching the title last year against Brooks Koepka (USA). It is surprising that the ‘top favorite’ Justin Thomas (USA) fell back to a tie for 83rd place at 1-over-par. Since the third round of the Sentry Tournament on the 10th, he has been struggling with distractions, including the suspension of his Ralph Lauren clothing sponsorship due to homophobic remarks, which seems to have affected his concentration.